Three Theories of Cognitive Development

The Swiss psychologist and philosopher Jean Piaget (1896-1980) is well-known for his work towards the cognitive sciences. Arguably one of his most important contributions involves his theory of cognitive development. In this theory, thinking progresses through four distinct stages between infancy and adulthood. Similar in scope to Piaget’s theory is Information Processing, in which human thinking is based on both mental hardware and mental software (Kail, Cavanaugh). A final theory on cognitive development was established by the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934). Vygotsky proposed that development is a collaborative effort between child and partner. While these three theories attempt to explain a similar topic in different manners, each can be considered an important aspect to cognitive development in infancy and early childhood. Through analyzing and comparing these theories, scientists are able to better understand how child development occurs and the process it takes in creating a functional human being.

Piaget’s Theory Children are naturally curious: this is the claim Piaget proposed when explaining that children of all ages create theories about how the world around them works. They accomplish this through the use of “schemes,” referring to mental structures that organize information and regulate behavior. Infants group objects based on the actions they can perform on them. Later in development, schemes become based on functional or conceptual relationships, not action. This means that schemes of related objects, events, and ideas are present throughout development (Kail, Cavanaugh). Schemes change constantly, adapting to children’s experiences. Intellectual adaptation involves two key processes that work together: assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is the process of taking in new information into previously existing schemes. Accommodation involves altering existing schemes in light of new information. Assimilation and accommodation are usually in equilibrium. But when disequilibrium occurs, children reorganize their schemes to return to a state of equilibrium, a process Piaget called “equilibration.” According to Piaget, revolutionary changes in thought occur three times over the life span, which are divided into four stages. Sensorimotor period (0-2 years): Infants adapt and explore their environment. Reflexes are first modified by experience. At 8 months, intentional behavior occurs. Soon, infants become active experimenters, and repeat actions with different objects for the purpose of seeing what will happen. An important aspect of the first stage is object permanence- the understanding that objects exist even if they cannot be seen. Not until at about 18 months do infants have a full understanding of object permanence. Soon after, the onset of symbols, including words and gestures, become apparent. Preoperational thinking (2-7 years): Children do not understand others’ different ideas and emotions (egocentrism). They also have trouble focusing on multiple features. A child in the preoperational stage has a narrowly focused type of thought (a term Piaget called centration). For example, in what is known as a conservation problem, children tend to focus on only one aspect of the problem. In conservation of length, they concentrate on the fact that, after the transformation, the end of one stick is farther to the right than the end of the other, when in fact each stick is similar in length. Concrete operational period (7-11 years): This stage is characterized by the appropriate use of logic. A child is able to sort objects according to its size, shape, etc. Also, children will now take into account multiple aspects of a problem. For example, a child will no longer perceive a wide and short cup to contain more liquid than a normal, tall cup. Egocentrism begins to disappear: the child can now view things from another’s...

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...﻿Essay
Introduction: The theory of cognitivedevelopment is defined as the development of the ability to think and reason. There are many theorists who have studied cognitivetheories and the most famous is Jean Piaget. Cognitivedevelopment covers the physical and emotional stages of a child. The basic premise for cognitivedevelopment is to show the different stages of the development of a child so you can understand where the child might be in their development.
Understanding cognitivedevelopment will better prepare the teacher when it comes to dealing with children and how to handle situations. The way children learn and mentally grow plays a central role in their learning process and abilities. When the teacher knows about the development of children then they can help with the development of each individual child on both the physical and emotional level. It will also allow the teacher to better relate to the child and understand what they are thinking. My research contrasts the cognitivedevelopmenttheories of Jean Piaget and L S Vygotsky. This research will show the implications of both these theories for the teaching of young children through the learning process.
Piaget’s...

...﻿KRISI REGAZI
K.regazi@cityu.gr
INSTRUCTOR : DR V. VARELA
10/11/2013
CONTENTS :
INTRODUCTION : PAGE 1
PIAGET'S THEORY PAGE 1 & 2
THEORIES OF MIND AND ALTERNATIVE THEORIES : page 3 &4
VYGOTSKY'S THEORY : PAGE 5
REFERENCE LIST : PAGE 6
ASSIGNMENT 1.
Compare and contrast threetheories of development in relation to cognitive changes during early childhood.
INTRODUCTION :
In these assignment pages are going to be covered some theories, theories which explain some cognitive changes of human in early childhood. Also these theories are going to be contrasted and compared so in order to understand the purpose of each theory, its logical statements, who wrote these theories and if each of these theories are completely integrated.
COGNITIVEDEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD :
Children in early childhood are not growing physically but mentally because they are still interacting with the world and are advancing their skills in order to be mastered. Also Angela Oswalt states, "we do not count the number of new neurons or measure the amount of connections between synapses and come up with averages for different ages so we rely in theories such as Piaget's stages of cognitivedevelopment."
(Angela...

...Theories of cognitivedevelopment: Assignment one.
‘Compare and contrast the cognitivetheories of the theorists – Piaget, Vygotsky &amp; Bruner, criticising the basis of each theory’
This essay will be comparing and contrasting the cognitivetheories and approaches of Piaget, Vygotsky and Bruner. The cognitive approach is based on how as individuals process information, past experiences, memory and perception. A definition of cognition is “how we consider information that we perceive from our senses and formulate a response” (Doherty &amp; Hughes 2009). Previously, cognition was generalised as the involvement of mental structures and processes in which is used to gain knowledge. However, more modern views to the cognitivetheory associate it with an emotional state. The three theorists that this essay will be looking in to are Bruner, Piaget and Vygotsky. Bruner believed that interactions had to be linked with a social context, and that there was no one formula applicable to all. Piaget believed that children learned about the world through exploration of it, and Vygotsky believed that development was at its highest when children were amongst more skilled and experienced learners
There are some clear similarities and differences between the three theorists. Starting with...

...Vygotsky’s CognitiveDevelopmentTheory
Lev Vygotsky theorized that an individual's psychological development is shaped by his/her historical and social environment. In contrast to Piaget’s developmental theory which emphasizes one’s genetic inner substance for cognitivedevelopment, Vygotsky’s model gave central focus to social interaction and the structuring power of content in the learning process. In accordance with locating the external aspects of the major element of human development, he highlighted the way in which children’s frameworks of understanding and achievement are learned from the adults or other partners.
Vygotsky recognized the connection between social and cognitivedevelopment. He argued that they are closely correlated and the interaction should be considered. He focused on the connections between people and the socio-cultural context in which active interaction occur. Thus, recognizing the coexistence of intrinsic and cultural forces in cognitivedevelopment, Vygotsky believed that the interaction between the two created a new transition (Craig, 221). According to his theory, humans use tools that develop from their culture, such as speech and writing, to interact with their social environments and to understand the new concepts. Initially, children...

...Discuss the concept of ‘constructivism’ (from Piaget’s theory of cognitivedevelopment). Use a mix of theory and research to back up your ideas about whether or not the child constructs his/her own development.
The understanding of how children comprehend the world around them has been a highly researched part of cognitivedevelopment in Psychology. Jean Piaget was one of the first researchers to develop a theory suggesting that children understand the world around them by actively seeking information from their environment, and continuously expanding their knowledge by organizing, adapting and assimilating this information Berlin, (1992). Piaget’s theory known as constructivism theory, has undergone a high level of scrutiny, centring on the understanding of children’s cognitive abilities, and neglecting the intelligence of assistance. Through analysing current research this paper aims to explore Piaget’s constructivism theory.
Children’s development has been a topic of interest since the 1920’s, following the creation of an intelligence test developed by Piaget and his colleagues where Piaget discovered that younger children made systematic mistakes from those of older age, consequently proposing that children change qualitatively with age, Bremner et al., (2012). Studying his own...

...Perspective Theories in CognitiveDevelopmentCognitive function deals with the processes of the mind to know, to think, to learn and to judge. Its development is generally based on a variety of interweaving factors like genetics and learning through experience. Cognitive psychology has been an area of great interest over the centuries since understanding the cognitive process has been able to raise the standards of human interaction. There were a number of breakthrough studies that have been conceived over the years, particularly by Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. These studies have made important contributions not only in the area of development psychology but its vital application on educational psychology as well.
Jean Piaget, renowned Swiss psychologist, noted that the developmental process consisted of a cycle. The child’s intellectual organization and insight will mature in to several stages of cognitivedevelopment: The first stage of Piaget’s cognitive developmental stages is the sensorimotor stage. This is usually experienced at birth to two years old. The memory is confined to immediate experiences, and it is at this period where the child builds his or her first cognitive framework (Queen, 2002). The second stage Piaget’s work is the preoperational stage and usually occurs between the...

...Cognitivedevelopment is the development of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood. Historically, the cognitivedevelopment of children has been studied in a variety of ways. The oldest is through intelligence tests. An example of this is the Stanford Binet Intelligence Quotient test. IQ scoring is based on the concept of "mental age," according to which the scores of a child of average intelligence match his or her age. IQ tests are widely used in the United States, but they have been criticized for defining intelligence too narrowly. In contrast to the emphasis placed on a child's native abilities by intelligence testing, learning theory grew out of work by behaviorist researchers such as John Broadus Watson and B.F. Skinner, who argued that children are completely malleable. Learning theory focuses on the role of environmental factors in shaping the intelligence of children, especially on a child's ability to learn by having certain behaviors rewarded and others discouraged.
The most well-known and influential theory of cognitivedevelopment is that of French psychologist Jean Piaget. He originally trained in areas of biology and philosophy and considered himself a "genetic epistimologist." He was mainly interested in the...

...Piaget's theory of cognitivedevelopment consists of four evident phases. The first is referred to as the sensorimotor stage. This stage typically occurs between birth and two years of age. During the sensorimotor stage children at first rely solely on the reflexes (sucking and rooting for example) that they were born with. Intelligence manifests itself through motor activities, for example children learn to crawl and walk during this stage. Most of the knowledge acquired during this stage is through physical activity. However, some language skills begin to emerge and the concept of object permanence is obtained during the sensorimotor period.
The second segment of Piaget's theory is called the preoperational stage. This takes place between the ages of two and seven. Throughout this stage children are egocentric. In other words they believe that everyone thinks exactly as they do. Children begin to use symbolism in relation to their world. Also, their use of oral language, memory, and imagination blossoms during this time.
The concrete operational stage is Piaget's third stage of cognitivedevelopment. Between the ages of seven and eleven children experience a dramatic change in the way they think. Thinking becomes less egocentric and more logical. Reversibility, the ability to perform a mental operation and then reverse one's thinking to return to the starting point, manifests itself...